


Spring

by twipen



Series: Seasons [1]
Category: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
Genre: About our two favorite dorks, Florem, M/M, One Shot Collection, Rain, Ringabel being a bro, Tiz being sad, spoilers listed in the notes, tags will evolve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2018-01-16 20:33:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1360819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twipen/pseuds/twipen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of non-sequential short stories about the boys who lived like Spring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Chapter Two. 
> 
> Tiz's trouble sleeping had never caused him this much actual trouble. Ringabel usually has better timing.

Their last night in Florem, it rained.

Tiz was from a small village, a farming village, so rain was not something unusual, but it had been quite a while since the Water Crystal was overtaken. Any rain was welcome really, especially after their stint in Ancheim. The harsh, dry heat of the desert made him miss the water-stained fields of Norende all that much more.

He had done his best not to think about it at the time; they had monsters to fight and Crystals to save, after all. He tried not to think about it ever, really, but in the neon-lit darkness of Florem’s inn there is no imminent danger or sense of urgency; there was nothing to keep that aching loss from hitting him full speed.

Which was how he eventually found himself standing in front of the glowing bloom that was the center of Florem’s lower level, completely and utterly soaked through.

He hadn’t meant to be standing in the rain, really.

After the first couple nights in Florem, Tiz learned that if he had trouble sleeping once, he wouldn’t be sleeping at all. Sometimes, he felt it wasn’t worth pretending he would. On those nights, he would walk the town. This was one such night.

Unlike how it would seem, Florem was not incredibly busy at night. The shops were still open, and there were still people around, but it was quieter. Almost as if a blanket covered Florem, muting all the noise. Tis enjoyed this town at night, much more than he enjoyed it during the day.

He used the time he suddenly found himself with to stock up on items and supplies for their trip back through the miasma forest  the next day. Ringabel said it would take three days at least, maybe four, maybe more if any complications arose, and so Tiz stocked accordingly. With a bow and a promise to return for the goods in the morning, Tiz was once again on the streets of Florem.

With nothing left to do, and no real desire to return to the inn, Tiz stood at the center of town. He tried not to think as he alternated between watching the glowing flower and watching the people passing by. He was so intently not thinking that he failed to noticed the slow dwindle in the number of people about, until rain was pelting down on the empty city streets.

If he had noticed the rain before it started pouring, he would have returned to the inn, perhaps to chase sleep again, but now he was soaked and felt there was no point in returning. So he stayed, and spared the poor innkeeper’s floor.

His clothes became heavy, his hair stuck flat to his forehead, ears, and the back of his neck, and at some point, he had turned his face skyward, eyes closed. For a while, he stood still and felt the rain his his face, until he was too wet and too cold to feel much of anything. Then he listened to the rain hit the cobblestone, and if he didn’t listen too hard, he could almost imagine he were home, hearing the rain pat-pattering against roof tiles.

Before that thought could get him too far, something hit him in the face.

It was soft, warm, and was pulled away too quickly for him to grab at it. The hair plastered to his face was pushed out of his eyes before he got a chance to do it himself. He hardly expected Ringabel to be standing there, hand hot against Tiz’s face, smoothing wet hair back with an odd grin.

He was wet too, but not quite as wet as Tiz was. He took notice of the downward droop of the blond’s floppy hair, weighted heavy by rainwater, and the dark patches on his shoulders and arms where his clothes were beginning to show the effects of the weather. Ringabel held up his fluffy neck thing (the thing that hit him in the face,Tiz assumed) to shield them from the rain. The fluffy shoulder wrap was not nearly large enough to shield them completely, but it kept the rain off their faces, if they stood close enough.

Tiz never realised Ringabel was so much taller than him.

“This is an interesting spot to be waiting for someone.” Ringabel spoke as if they were not being thoroughly soaked. “Though I truly admire your dedication, I hate to say, she’s probably not coming, yeah?” Tiz’s brow furrowed, and he breathed out a sigh before letting it relax.

“I’m not waiting for someone.” Tiz looked off to the side, away from Ringabel and his infectious smiles.

“You don’t have to hide it, my friend.” Ringabel clasped him on the shoulder and gave him a shake. Tiz could hear that predatory tone in his voice. “Women don’t like shy naivety in men. Be proud, Tiz!”

“I’m really not waiting for anyone, Ringabel.” Tiz sighed this time. Ringabel, with his hand still on Tiz’s shoulder, shifted his weight between legs.

“What else could be worth waiting out in the rain for, if not the loving embrace of a warm companion?”

“You’d wait out in the rain for a girl?” Tiz didn’t smile, but his lips twitched upward as he cautiously shifted the focus of the conversation away from himself. “That seems unlike you.”

“For love, dear Tiz, I would withstand the harshest of storms.” His dramatic tone made Tiz roll his eyes.

“You never change.” Tiz sighed again and met Ringabel’s stare. Ringabel’s fluffy wrap had given up on protecting them from the rain, and had decided instead to drop heavy streams of water onto their heads and necks. Ringabel flopped the offending article over his shoulder with a wet smack.

They were both wet now, Ringabel’s normally well-kempt hair hung heavy on his face and neck, and his shirt was several shades darker from the water it absorbed. Tiz pushed the floppy mass of hair from Ringabel’s face, mostly in jest, but when he saw the surprised look on Ringabel’s face he thought that maybe letting his hand linger had been a bad choice, and quickly withdrew it.

The expression was gone from his face in an instant, replaced with a signature Ringabel smirk. He slung an arm around Tiz’s shoulders, making both boys flinch at the squelch their wet clothes made.

“Let’s get back to the inn, hm?” Ringabel said, rather softly, dragging Tiz along before he could respond. “We’ll be in quite a bit of trouble if we catch a cold.”

Tiz laughed a little bitterly, despite the truth of the statement, or perhaps because of it. He kept laughing as the reality of their situation settled on him, and his laugh became something not so bitter; something almost warm.

“Yeah,” He replied, bumping Ringabel with a bit more force than necessary. “A little late for that though, don’t you think?”

They laughed the whole way up to the inn, during which Tiz realised how much he valued the other boy’s company. While the innkeeper fussed about their state, and Ringabel charmed her into bringing them towels, Tiz watched silently, with something dangerously close to a smile on his face, and thought about who was worth waiting in the rain for.


End file.
